Declining Supply

Medicinal cannabis

The prescribing and supply of medicinal cannabis is a rapidly expanding area of practice in Australia. With this emerging field comes the need for comprehensive risk management considerations and strategies to ensure patient safety and regulatory compliance. The following explores some essential risk management considerations for pharmacists who are involved in this area of practice. […]

Off-label prescribing

Off-label prescribing occurs when a medication is used for a purpose that is not approved by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). It may involve using a medication in a different dosage, route of administration or for a different patient population. While off-label prescribing is legal and sometimes necessary, it may pose ethical and safety […]

Delaying or declining supply of medication

The PDL Professional Officers often manage calls, incident reports and occasional regulatory complaints following a pharmacist’s decision to decline supply of a medication. Recently, the Professional Officers have also taken calls from pharmacists seeking advice on declining supply when they believe the prescribing of a 60-day supply (60 Day Dispensing or 60DD) does not align […]

Avoid being conned

PDL has observed a recent trend in pharmacists being duped into supplying medication, usually S8 or S4s on fraudulent prescriptions by con artists who are becoming increasingly clever. A common tactic of the fraudsters is to present a forged or altered prescription to a pharmacy after hours or on a weekend. By this action, a […]

The big questions for pharmacists

PDL employs four pharmacist Professional Officers who are available 24/7 for PDL members. From the thousands of calls and emails received every year by the Professional Officers, there are several common questions or themes. The following is a summary of some common themes. For specific advice, contact PDL on 1300 854 838 and speak with […]

Incidents involving drugs of dependence

The PDL Professional Officers often see incident reports or regulatory notifications involving high risk medications such as S8 items and benzodiazepines. These incidents can involve incorrect quantities, strengths or formulations. PDL reminds members that extra care should be taken when performing a final check to ensure the patient is receiving the prescribed medication. Pharmacists can […]